Bosco, Bartolomeo | The Bullet Catch

Bosco, Bartolomeo
Bartholomaus Bosco eine außerordentliche Vorstellung. [Np, but Leipzig?, ca. 1827]

Broadside (470 x 330 mm). Woodcut vignette depicting Bosco's bullet catch, text in German; some faint foxing. Matted, framed, and glazed.

The Bullet Catch

Giovanni Bartolomeo Bosco was an Italian magician who rose to prominence in the mid-19th century. He is perhaps best remembered for his skills with cups and balls. "This playbill features the gun trick…first described in the sixteenth century, which resulted in the death of a number of performers in the intervening three hundred years. It is embellished with a striking woodcut of the blindfolded Bosco about to be fired at by a half dozen marksmen" (EE 82).

Rare.

REFERENCE:
Exemplars, p. 25; EE 82-3

Condition Report:
Condition as described in catalogue entry.

In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.